Paint removing tools



Filed Juy 28. 1954 mvmroa PATRICK CLEMENT cox ATTORNEY.

United States Patent PAlNr REMovINo Toots Patrick Clement Cox, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England,

assignor to The Osborn Manufacturing Company Limited, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England Application July 28, 1954, Serial No. 446,209

4 Claims. (Cl. 219-29) 'This invention has reference to electrically-heated paintremoving tools and is concerned with tools of the kind wherein a scrapingplate is so located relative to an electric heating element that, when .an operating handle incorporated in the tool, is gripped yby an operator and the tool is passed over a painted surface with the blade in contact with the surface and trailing the element, the paint is heated and softened by the element and is then removed by the blade.

The principal objects of the present invention are to improve the efficiency of the tools of the above mentioned kind, facilitate their manipulation, improve their appearance, reduce their costs of manufacture and increase the length of their useful life.

In accordance with the said invention, in an electrically-heated paint-removing tool of the kind referred to the scraper is provided at one end of ya plate which is trapped or sandwiched between the electric heating elementand a layer Vof heat resisting and insulating material which is surmounted by a cover, and the blade is arranged to extend through and beyond the plane of the element.

Preferably, the cover is dished :and receives the heat resisting and insulating material in its dished face, the said material being of a thickness greater than the depth of the dishing so that the cover makes no contact with the bladed plate.

The operating handle may consist of a -grip which is Secured to one end of Ia tubular shaft having, lat its opposite end, a foot or enlargement provided with tapped bosses which seat upon and externally of the crown of the cover and are engaged by bolts whereby the element, plate, cover and handle are assembled together.

yIn order that the invention may be more readily understood and carried into practice, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

EFigure 1 is a top Iperspective view of a paint removing tool,

Figure 2 is an underside perspective View, and,

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation, on an enlarged scale, part of the tubular shaft and the grip of the handle 'having been omitted.

The tool shown Iin the said drawing comprises a plate 1 which consists of a rectangular sheet-metal pressing and of which one end is for-med with a depending blade 2. The blade extends along and is co-extensive with one of the shorter edges of the plate and projects downwardly from and at right angles to, the plate, its lower portion being chamfered to provide a sharp scraping edge; the blade, or at least its chamfered edge is hardened to render it wear-resisting.

An element 3 consisting of a sinuous metal tube or sheath through which a heating resistance extends and from which the said resistance is electrically insulated, is clamped upon and extends over the entire area of the underside of the plate and the blade projects through and beyond the plane of the said element. The extremities of two legs 3a of the element pass through an aperembrace the said element (see Figure 2), and two pairs ture 1a in the plate, one or more layers 4 of heat resisting and insulating material applied to the upper side of the plate 1, and the crown of a cover 5 applied to the said material; the heating resistance projects beyond the lsaid leg extremities, its ends being anchored to a terminal block 6.

The cover consists of a die or other metal casting and its lower face is dished to a depth less than that of the insulating material so that, although the said material is received in the said dished face, the cover does not make contact with the bladed plate and the cover cannot be heated by conduction from the plate; the toe of the cover is formed with heat radiating fins 7 which tend to minimise the temperature to which it may be raised by radiation.

A handle, comprising a tubular shaft 8, a foot or enlargement 9 integral with one end of the shaft, and a grip 10 secured to the opposite end of the shaft, is applied to and externally of the crown of the cover 5. The foot and shaft consist of a single die or other metal casting and the lower face of the foot is also dished and is provided with four tapped bosses 11 which are of greater depth than and project beyond the underside of the dished enlargement so that their lower end faces seat upon the cover crown and support the enlargement in spaced relationship to the said crown. Hence, the area of contact between the handle and cover is minimised and an air gap is created between them so that the possibility of the handle being heated by the cover is also minimised.

The element 3 is held securely to the underside of the plate l and the superimposed heat resisting and insulating material, cover and handle are held securely to the upper side of the said plate, by two transverse clips 12which of bolts 13 which pass through bolt holes in the clips, plate, insulating material and cover; the shank of each bolt projects beyond the crown of the cover and makes screwengagement with a corresponding one of the tapped bosses 11 which are so disposed on the underside of the dished enlargement 9 that each is in axial alignment with corresponding bolt holes in one or other of the said clips and in the said plate, insulating material and cover respectively; hence the said plate is sandwiched between the element 3 and the material 4 and the terminal block 6 is accommodated partly in the dished foot or enlargement 9 and partly in the hollow shaft 8.

The grip 10 is bored axially thereof and a triple-wire current conducting ilex 14 extends through the grip and the shaft, two of the Wires of the llex being connected to the block 6 and the third or earth wire being connected by a screw 1S to the crown of the cover 5. To reduce the possibility of the flex wearing or fraying due to frictional contact with the outer end of the grip bore, a rubber or 4like sleeve '16 is secured to the free end of the grip and the ilex enters the said bore through the said sleeve.

As is apparent from the drawing, the handle is inclined relatively to the plate 1 and projects beyond the end of the plate remote from the blade 2; hence, the tool is capable of being manipulated easily without danger of the operator burning his hand on the element 3, cover 5 or foot 9, when the element circuit is closed, although, owing to the provision of the material 4 andthe spacing apart of the plate, cover and handle, it is unlikely that the foot will reach a temperature high enough to burn, or that the cover will reach a temperature high enough to burn seriously.

The closing of the element circuit causes the heating resistance to raise its tubular sheath to red heat so that, when the operator holds the grip 1t) he may draw the tool over a painted surface, with the edge of the blade Z in contact with the surface and trailing the element, whereupon the heat radiated from the element softens Patented June 25, 1957v 3 the paint which is removed quickly and easily by the blade;

If desired, one or each end of the blade may be formed with projections of predetermined shape to facilitate the removal of paint from channels, corners or similar localities to which the working edge of the blade is unable to obtain access or tov which the said edge can obtain access only with some diiculty.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. An electric paint-removing tool comprising a at plate, an electric heating element assembled to one face of the said plate', at least one layer of heat resisting and insulating material assembled to the opposite face of the plate, a cover surmounting and secured relatively to the said material in spaced relationship to the plate, an operating handle provided with a number of bosses which project from one end' thereof and are assembled to the cover to retain the said end in spaced relationship to the said cover, 'and a scraping blade provided on one edge of the plate outwardly of the heating element, the said blade projecting through the plane of the element to locate an operative scraping edge thereof beyond the opposite side of the element to the cover.

2. An electric paint-removing tool comprising a at plate having a scraping blade projecting at right angles from one edge thereof, an electric heating element, of a thickness less than the depth of the blade, assembled upon that face of the plate from which the blade projects, at least one layer of heat resisting and insulating material assembled upon the opposite face of the plate, a cover secured upon the said material in spaced rela tionship to the plate, and an operating handle having an enlarged foot at one end thereof, the said foot being provided on its underside with a plurality of bosses which seat upon and are secured to the exterior of the cover to locate the said foot in spaced relationship to the cover.

3. An electric paint-removing tool according to claim 2, wherein the handle comprises a shaft having the enlarged foot on one end thereof, the said shaft being inclined relatively to the plate and extending outwardly of the plate edge which is opposite to the edge from which the blade projects.

4. An electric paint-removing tool comprising a at metal plate of which one: edge is turned over at right angles so that it projects from one face of the plate to provide a scraping blade, a sinuous tubular electric heating element, of a thickness less than the depth of the blade, seated upon that face of the plate from which the blade projects, clips embracing arms of the said elements, bolts extending through the said clips and the plate, and also through at least one layer of heat resisting and insulating material seated upon the opposite face of the plate and a cover surmounting the said material in spaced relationship to the plate, the shank of each of the said bolts engaging a corresponding tapped boss provided onand projecting'from the underside of an enlarged foot at one end of an operating handle, to seat the bosses on the cover with the foot in spaced relationship to the cover, and to clamp the said clips, heating element, plate, heat resisting and insulating material, cover and handle in their assembled relationship.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 18, 1953 

